This invention relates to specimen embedding devices and methods of forming specimen containing embedding medium blocks from which sections of the specimen may be cut for analysis.
Generally, in order to provide a specimen section, such as a histological tissue specimen, for mounting on a microscope slide, the specimen is embedded in a block of an embedding medium, such as paraffin wax, and then separate sections or slices of the block and specimen are cut from the block by a cutting device, such as a microtome. In the past, the specimen was placed in the bottom of a mold having an upper open end and molten paraffin was poured into the mold to cover the specimen. After the paraffin solidified into a block, it was removed from the mold, and then sliced by a microtome to provide specimen sections which may be placed on slides for microscopic analysis. U.S. Pat. No. 2,996,762 describes a method in which a lower mold part is removed from the solidified paraffin containing the specimen while an upper mold part remains with the paraffin for clamping in a microtome. The method of this patent, however, requires the handling of bulk embedding medium, such as paraffin wax. This, in turn, requires paraffin melting and holding implements which are relatively expensive, necessitates the pouring or dispensing of melted paraffin into each specimen containing mold at the hospital or laboratory, subjects the material to foreign matter, and generally requires careful and skilled technicians. Such methods also generally result in heating excessive paraffin and also necessitate laboratory clean-up.